Wrench.



No. 885,596. PATENTED APR. 21, 1908.

J. C. FREY.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED JANA. 190s.

' Shamanic;

0- Witmzaaw "7/ attaches JOHN C. FREY, OF ROCHESTER,

NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE B. FINK, OF ROCHESTER, NEWYORK.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 21, 1908.

Application filed January 4, 1908. I Serial No. 409,326.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN C. FREY, of Rochester, in the county of Monroeand State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inlVrenches, which improvement is fully set forth in the followingspecification and shown in the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inwrenches of that class generally known as monkey wrenches, and it hasfor its objects among others to provide a simple and cheap constructionof monkey wrench having provision permitting 5 the traveling jaw toretreat when turning the Wrench backward on a bolt head or nut, thusallowing it to pass over the angles of the bolt head or nut preparatoryto catching a new grip for another forward swing of the handle of thewrench.

The wrench is designed primarily for use in a cramped place upon a bolthead or nut difficult of access, in which case a continuous forward andbackward swing of the handle will serve to turn the threaded body asrequired, each backward swing of the handle being idle and merely tobring the jaws of the wrench in position to take a new hold. Thisaction, as will be readily understood as the description proceeds, islike a pawl acting with a toothed ratchet, all backward swingings of thewrench being recovering or idle movements. The wrench will be found veryuseful for mechanics of different callings when it becomes necessary forthem to turn bolts or nuts where it is inconvenient for them to removethe wrench each time to get a new hold or bite on the threaded body.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appearand the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings which,with the nu merals of reference marked thereon, form a part of thisspecification and in which Figure 1 is a substantially centrallongitudinal section through the improved wrench, with parts inelevation and portions broken away. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing themovable jaw in its retreated position. Fig. 3 is a section on the line33 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow, the view being on anenlarged scale.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout theseveral illustrations.

Referring to the drawings 1 designates the shank and 2 the fixed jawcarried thereby. This shank toward its end farthest from the fixed jawis shown as reduced, as at 8, and this reduced end provided with screwthreads, as seen at 4, for a purpose which will hereinafter be madeapparent. This reduced portion is provided with a socket, as shown at 5,the object of which will soon appear.

6 is thehandle portion. It has one portion, as at 7, reduced toconstitute a gripping portion for the handle, this portion receiving thereduced portion of the shank, a nut 8 engaging the threaded portion 4 ofthe shank and bearing against the end of said gripping portion 7 servesto hold the handle portion in position upon the shank. This handleportion upon its enlarged part 9 is provided with a bore or chamber 10and with a supplemental bore 11 of less diameter, a shoulder 12 beingformed at the junction of the supplemental bore with the said bore 10,as seen clearly in Fig. 1.

13 1s the movable jaw. It is provided with a chamber 14 and with amember 15 into which is threaded the screw 16. This movable jaw has theyoke portions 17 and 18 which loosely receive the shank 1, as seenclearly in Fig. 1. The screw 16 is provided with a longitudinal grooveor race 19 in which works the spline 20 on a knurled ring or nut 21through which latter the screw slides freely. This screw has a reducedportion 22 forming the shoulder 23, while 24 is a spring coiled aboutthis reduced portion within the socket or chamber 10 and finding abearing at one end against the shoulder 12 at the inner end of saidsocket and the shoulder 23 of the screw.

25 is a stop or member mounted to slide through the walls of theenlarged portion of the handle and traversing the bore 11 there of. Thisstop member is provided with a head 26 and an aperture 27 of a size toreadily permit of the passage of the reduced portion 22 of the screw.This stop member is normally forced outward by means of the spring 28having one end seated within the socket 5 of the reduced portion 3 ofthe shank and its other end bearing against the shoulder 29 of the stopmember, in this instance being shown as coiled about a stud30 projectingfrom said member. Any suitable 'means as a transverse pin 31 may beprovided for limiting the outward movement of the stop member, as seenclearly in Fig. l.

The operation will be clearly understood from the foregoing descriptionwhen taken in connection with the annexed drawings. Briefly stated, itis as follows :The button or head 26 of the stop member is in positionto conveniently receive the thumb of the hand of the one holding theWrench. With the parts shown in the position in Fig. 1, the wrench isdesigned to act merely as an ordinary wrench, a spring 28 serving toforce the stop member 25 outward so that the part 22 cannot pass throughthe hole 27 in said stop member. When it is desired that the wrench actin its new capacity, that is, to turn a bolt or nut without removing thewrench therefrom, the stop member 25 is pushed inward by pressure of thethumb on its head 26; this compresses the spring 28, as seen in Fig. 2,and when the member 25 reaches the position where its opening 27 iscoincident with the bore 11 of the handle the wrench may be swung intothe position relatively to the nut or bolt head 32, as seen in Fig. 2,when the jaw 13 is caused to retreat, compressing the spring 24 andforcing the reduced portion 22 of the screw through the opening 27 ofthe member 25 and into the bore 11. Then when the wrench is brought intoposition relatively to the bolt head or nut, shown in Fig. 1, the spring24 forces the screw and consequently the movable aw 13 into closecontact with the side of the bolt head or nut, and as soon as thereduced portion 22 is forced out of the opening 27 in the stop mem ber25, the spring 28 acts to force said stop member outward, throwing itfrom the position seen in Fig. 2 into that in which it is shown in Fig.1, thus bringing a solid portion of the stop member in alinement withthe reduced portion 22 of the screw, so as to pre vent the latter fromretreating.

It will be understood that the ordinary adjustments of the movable jaw13 are attained in the usual way by manipulating the knurled ring or nut21. This knurled ring or nut is received in a notch 33 in the shank tohold the same against movement in the direction of the length of thescrew.

Modifications in detail may be resorted to without departing from thespirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a wrench, a fixed jaw and its shank, a movable jaw, a screw andrelatively fixed ring for adjusting said movable jaw, a handle portion,and a stop member slidable in the handle portion at right angles to thelength of the screw and having an opening for the passage of the end ofthe latter.

2. In a wrench, a fixed jaw and its shank, a movable jaw, a screw andrelatively fixed ring for adjusting said movable jaw, a handle portion,a stop member slidable in the handle portion at right angles to thelength of the screw and having an opening for the passage of the ends ofthe latter, and a spring acting on said stop member to normally hold itwith its opening out of the path of said ends of the screw.

3. In a wrench, a fixed jaw and its shank, a movable jaw, a screw andrelatively fixed ring for adjusting said movable jaw, a handle portion,a stop member slidable in the handle portion at right angles to thelength of the screw and having an opening for the passage of the end ofthe latter, and a spring confined within the handle portion and actingon said screw.

4. In a wrench, a fixed jaw and its shank, a movable jaw, a screw andrelatively fixed ring for adjusting said movable jaw, a handle portion,a stop member slidable in the handle portion at right angles to thelength of the screw and having anopening for the passage of the end ofthe latter, a spring confined within the handle portion and acting onsaid screw, and a spring acting on said stop member to normally hold itwith its opening out of the path of said end of the screw.

5. In a wrench, a fixed jaw and its shank, a handle portion, a movablejaw, a screw for adjusting the same, a relatively fixed ring splined tothe screw and through which the latter freely moves, a spring acting onsaid screw to force the movable jaw in one direction, and a stop .memberdisposed on the handle portion at right angles to the line of movementof the screw and slidably mounted to permit the screw and movable jaw toretreat when desired.

6. In a wrench, a fixed jaw and its shank, a handle portion, a movablejaw, a screw for adjusting the same, a relatively fixed ring splined tothe screw and through which the latter freely moves, a spring acting onsaid screw to force the movable jaw in one direction, a stop memberdisposed on the handle portion at right angles to the line of movementof the screw and slidably mounted to permit the screw and the movablejaw to retreat when desired, and a spring acting on said stop member tonormally hold it projected.

7. In a wrench, a fixed jaw and its shank, a handle portion, a movable jaw, a screw for adjusting the same, a relatively fixed ring splined tothe screw and through which the latter freely moves, a' spring acting onsaid screw to force the movable jaw in one direction, a stop memberdisposed on the handle I portion at right angles to the line of movementof the screw and slidably mounted to my hand this 30th day of December,1907, permit the screw and the movable jaw to in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

retreat when desired, a sprin acting on said sto member to normally ho dit projected, JOHN FREY' 5 an means preventing complete withdrawalWitnesses:

of said stop member. ENos B. WHITMORE,

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set A. M. WHITMORE.

